East Haven Remembers Plane Crash Victims [VIDEO]

Residents of East Haven, Connecticut held a candlelight vigil to remember the neighborhood victims of the Friday's small plane crash.

Sade Brantley holds one-year-old Madisyn Mitchell (WVIT TV)

Hundreds gathered in a park to remember 13-year-old Sade Brantley and one-year-old Madisyn Mitchell according to WVIT TV and offer support for their mother, Joann Mitchell.

"We will be with you. We will support you in prayer and action as the days, weeks, and months go on," Father Tom Sievel of St. Vincent De Paul Church told the Hartford television station.

East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo walked over to Mitchell and gave her a hug reports WFSB TV. "Thank you, Joann," Maturo said moments later. "You are so brave." Mitchell did not address the crowd.

One neighbor fondly remembered Sade. "She always had a zest for knowledge and life and was a sheer pleasure to know. And Madisyn was such a happy baby. With her short life she brought happiness to everyone," Elanda Rubirosa, who has known the family for more than 30 years, told WVIT TV.

As heavy equipment moved in to remove the plane from the houses and to begin tearing them down, stuffed animals and flowers have been placed in front of the homes.

Not The Pilot's First Crash

Investigators at home struck by plane in East Haven, Connecticut (WVIT TV via Facebook)

The Connecticut crash wasn't the first crash pilot Bill Henningsgaard had been involved in.

The former Microsoft executive ditched a small plane in a Washington state river in 2009 after his engine quit. On Friday, he was taking his teenage son on a tour of East Coast colleges when his plane crashed into two houses near an airport in East Haven in rainy weather.

Investigators say they've found no obvious signs there was anything wrong with the plane that took off from Teterboro Airport. Federal safety investigator Patrick Murray says the plane landed upside down at an angle on two East Haven homes as the pilot was apparently turning to land at Tweed New Haven Airport in rainy weather.